Presumptions of linearity and faith in the power of centralised decision-making: two challenges to the efficient management of environmental water in Australia

Water policy in the Murray-Darling Basin continues to be dominated by the trade-offs
between agricultural and environmental interests. This has recently been played out
with the acrimonious debate that circumscribed the release of the Guide to the Murray-
Darling Basin Plan. In this paper, we argue that too much emphasis has been
placed on the volume of held water as an indicator of environmental benefit. We also
contend that there is an attendant presumption of linearity in the relationship between
volumes of held water and environmental benefit which could lead to perverse outcomes.
A second problem is that there is too much enthusiasm for contemplating the
solutions to water management problems as residing primarily at the federal level of
government. These factors stand to ultimately limit the efficient delivery of environmental
objectives.